Each chapter of the Quran has special qualities, but some chapters reflect those qualities upon their reciters. One such chapter is Al Ikhlas.
Meaning “sincerity” in English, the chapter begins with: “say: He is Allah, [who is] One, Allah, the Eternal Refuge. He neither begets nor is born, nor is there to Him any equivalent.”
The virtues of the verses were narrated by Prophet Mohammed several times. He once told one of his companions, Uqba Ibn Amer:
“Shall I teach you Suras the like of which have never been revealed neither in Torah, Zaboor, Gospel nor in the Criterion? Make sure to recite them every night. Those are: ‘say: He is Allah [Who is] the One’, ‘say: I seek refuge in the Lord of daybreak,’ and ‘say: I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind’.”
The rewards bestowed by Allah upon whoever recites those verses are equal to reciting one third of the Quran, the sermon will tell mosque-goers on Friday.
The reason for this is because the Quran explains the attributes of Allah and His teachings and tells the stories of the Prophets. And Surat Al Ikhlas is dedicated to mentioning the qualities of God.
Reciting Surat Al Ikhlas frequently earns its reader the love of Allah and one of the best ways for a Muslim to ask God of something is to call Him by His greatest Name which is mentioned in Surat Al Ikhlas.
In light of its special status and virtues, Prophet Mohammed has prescribed for Muslims to recite Surat Al Ikhlas in the morning upon waking up and in the evening before going to sleep.
The reason is that this sura is a protection against every kind of evil and affliction, the sermon will say.
It was narrated that Abdullah Ibn Khubaib, one of the Prophet’s companions, reported, “the Messenger of Allah said to me, ‘Say!’ So, I said, ‘What would I say?’ He said, ‘Say, ‘say: He is Allah, [who is] One’ and Al Muawwidhatain (Surat Al-Falaq and Surat An-Nas) three times in the evening and in the morning. That will suffice you in all respects”.
The Prophet set an example by reciting Surat Al Ikhlas and Al Muawwidhatain at night every day.
It was narrated that Aisha, his wife, said, “Whenever the Prophet went to bed every night, he used to cup his hands together and blow over it after reciting Surat Al Ikhlas, Surat Al-Falaq and Surat An-Nas, and then rub his hands over whatever parts of his body he was able to rub, starting with his head, face and front of his body. He used to do that three times.”
